Shloka 29

Sarasvatī-avatāra-prasaṅgaḥ

Account of Sarasvatī’s Manifestation and the Humbling of the Devas

Devanagari script

निराकारापि साकारा सर्वतत्त्वस्वरूपिणी । अप्रतर्क्यगुणा नित्या कार्यकारणरूपिणी

Transliteration

nirākārāpi sākārā sarvatattvasvarūpiṇī | apratarkyaguṇā nityā kāryakāraṇarūpiṇī

Translation

Though formless, She also assumes form; She is the very essence of all tattvas (principles of reality). Her qualities are beyond mere reasoning; eternal is She, appearing as both cause and effect in the lila of manifestation.

Word by Word

• nirākārā: formless
• nirākārā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir-ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular; compound: nir + ākāra

• api: even though
• api: Sambandha (सम्बन्धः)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: api (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), concessive ‘even/though’

• sākārā: with form
• sākārā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sa-ākāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular; compound: sa + ākāra

• sarva-tattva-svarūpiṇī: she whose essence is all realities
• sarva-tattva-svarūpiṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक) + tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + svarūpiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘whose nature is all principles’

• apratarkya-guṇā: with inconceivable qualities
• apratarkya-guṇā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-pratarkya (प्रातिपदिक) + guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular; ‘having qualities beyond reasoning’

• nityā: eternal
• nityā: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषणम्)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nitya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular

• kārya-kāraṇa-rūpiṇī: she whose form is (both) effect and cause
• kārya-kāraṇa-rūpiṇī: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kārya (प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + rūpiṇī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative (1/प्रथमा), Singular; dvandva (itaretara) kārya + kāraṇa, then tatpurusha with rūpiṇī

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Uma-saṃhitā discourse to the sages, describing Devī/Umā as Śiva’s Śakti)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Mahādeva

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Umā

Role: creative

Characters & Entities

• Parvati
• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches that Devī (Umā/Śakti) is simultaneously transcendent (formless) and immanent (with form), pervading all tattvas; realizing this unity of the Supreme and its power helps the seeker move beyond limited reasoning toward liberating insight.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Liṅga worship honors the formless Absolute (nirākāra) through a sacred form (sākāra); this verse grounds that practice by affirming that the Divine can be approached both as beyond form and as compassionately manifest within form—Śiva inseparable from Śakti.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva-Śakti as both nirguṇa and saguṇa while japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”); in pūjā, contemplate the Liṅga as the formless reality and the mūrti/Devī as its manifest grace.